Lesson Plans

We learn about history from a lot of different sources. These can include written documents and artifacts. However, we also understand history from oral histories, which is the passing down of history through verbal accounts. 

For millennia, humans have used recipes as a way to pass on culture and history. Pepper Pot Stew started as a stew commonly made in Africa. However, it followed the Transatlantic slave Trade from Africa to the West Indies and North America. Recipes like this one are some of the many ways African culture influenced American culture. 

When archaeologists do fieldwork, they often find broken objects. Sometimes they are able to piece together these broken objects through a process called mending, which is like putting together pieces of a puzzle. When an object is mended, we can see what the complete object looks like. This activity allows participants to decorate their own plate, cut it up, and try to put it back together. 

Have you ever looked at the top of the Mansion and noticed a bird? That's a replica of the weathervane that George Washington had made for his house! Using this activity, you can make a replica of your own. 

George Washington was very interested in his family tree and kept notes on it in their family Bible. His records for his plantation also help us trace the families of some of the enslaved people who lived at Mount Vernon. Using this activity, create a family tree for yourself, a friend, or a historical figure. 

The Battle of Lexington and Concord took place on the morning of April 19, 1775. At the time, no one knew this marked the beginning of an eight-year war for independence. However, in the immediate aftermath and the centuries that followed, artists created songs, poems, paintings, and more about this famous event. In this activity, you can explore Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn" and practice writing your own poems. 

Spies in the American Revolution used tools like cipher wheels to secretly pass messages that were crucial to the war effort. One of the most important spies for the Continental Army was James Lafayette, an enslaved man from Virginia that served as a spy for the Marquis de Lafayette.

Use this activity to learn about James Lafayette, cipher wheels, and spies in the American Revolution! 

Did you know that horses are measured using hands? This measurement has been used for centuries! George Washington was an avid horseman and owned many horses during his life. One of Washington's horses, Nelson, was 16 hands high! 

This activity explores primary sources to deepen participants' understanding of the eighteenth century. It also encourages them to practice their measuring skills. 

Coats of arms have been used for centuries, especially by monarchs and prominent families in Europe. An important coat of arms present during the American Revolution was that of Louis XVI and his ancestors. As the King of France, his decision to aid the Continental Army was crucial to American victory. 

George Washington ran Mount Vernon in the same manner he managed the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War: through careful time management, a close attention to detail, and a taskmaster 's sense of duty. Thus it is no little surprise that Washington set his sundial at the heart of his plantation. Sundials were the most accurate tool in eighteenth century America for telling time. In this activity, you can make your own! 

George Washington's fireplace mantle in the New Room is decorated with carvings of farming scenes and livestock. He filled the New Room with these symbols to show his interest in agriculture to his visitors.  If you were to design your own fireplace mantle, what images would you use? What would it say about you? This activity gives you a chance to find out. 

At the end of the First Continental Congress, delegates planned to reconvene with the Second Continental Congress the following spring in case Parliament did not respond. However, as war had broken out in Lexington & Concord, they also became the head of
the war effort. Explore some well-known and not-so-well-known delegates to the Second Continental Congress through this matching activity. 

Spies in the American Revolution used invisible ink to secretly pass messages that were crucial to the war effort. This activity teaches you to make your own invisible ink and write your own secret messages! 

Many different animals and insects lived at Mount Vernon in the eighteenth century, and many of the same breeds live at Mount Vernon today. Through this matching activity and primary sources, explore the importance of these animals to Washington and his estate.

Due to modern technology and trade, it is possible in the United States to get most foods year-round. However, in the eighteenth century, people were limited based on when food could be harvested or caught. This activity compares modern recipes to seasonal eating in the eighteenth century. 

As a teenager, George Washington copied the Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company in Conversation to practice his penmanship. The 110 rules covered many of the social graces of the time period. We have many of the same rules in society today. Complete this matching activity to learn some of the rules' modern equivalent. 

George Washington's name and face is all around us. Using this scavenger hunt, you'll be able to find him not just about Mount Vernon, but all over your neighborhood!